Operators of scientific equipment are known to experience discomfort and fatigue of their fingers, wrists and/or arms after extended periods of operating various devices. For example, operators of microscopes must constantly manipulate various controls and knobs of the microscope to bring various specimens into view. Hours of such manipulation may cause one's arms, hands and/or fingers to become sore, fatigued and may even lead to painful musculo-skeletal disorders like tendonitis and carpel tunnel syndrome. In addition, persons performing benchwork, such as working on printed circuit boards, whether for inspection, manufacturing or repair, are often positioned in unnatural positions and must repeatedly manipulate various devices and tools during their job. In order to support their body, workers often rest their elbows, forearms and wrists on hard work surfaces. Persons also lean against desks to prevent painful muscular skeletal stain associated with working in awkward positions which, over time, can cause alternative physical maladies.
Various devices have been developed in at attempt to reduce the strain upon the body for those working on scientific equipment. For example, a product sold under the trademark Wedge-Ease® has been sold to reduce the strain for those persons who utilize microscopes for extended periods of time. The Wedge-Ease® consists of a cushioning pad 1-3 inches thick, 10 inches long and 3-5 inches wide. The Wedge-Ease® includes a vinyl cover encasing a foam interior. Persons utilizing the Wedge-Ease® place their forearm, wrist or elbow upon the pad which has been found to relieve fatigue and discomfort to one's upper extremities, neck and back. The device also eliminates resting one's elbows and forearms on a hard work surface. Unfortunately, devices such as the Wedge-Ease® are not suitable for use in proximity to electrostatic sensitive devices as the pad does not properly dissipate static charge and therefore can cause damage to sensitive devices.
Static electricity is commonly defined as an electrical charge resulting from the imbalance of electrons on the surface of a material. Most people are quite familiar with the every day effects of static electricity, as it is the shock that one experiences when touching a door knob or other device having a different electrical potential. The scientific name for the electrical shock is electrostatic discharge (“ESD”).
In every day situations, ESD can be an annoyance, but it is rarely a problem. However, the problems resulting from ESD are magnified within industrial settings, such as where persons are utilizing ESD sensitive electronics. In addition, static discharge can cause the unintentional ignition of flammable materials and the attraction of contaminants such as charged dust particles within a clean room environment. Even centuries ago, people were concerned with ESD ramifications as it was found to ignite black powder ammunition.
Today, the electronics industry is most concerned with ESD damage. It can destroy or degrade semiconductor devices by changing operational characteristics. In clean rooms it has been found to cause charged particles to adhere tightly to the surface of a silicon wafer, resulting in distinct problems with circuit board production and efficiency.
ESD control programs are typically implemented to dissipate ESD. These techniques include coating work surfaces, including floors and bench tops, with ESD resistive coatings. An additional ESD device is known as a grounding strap. A grounding strap is physically connected between an electrostatically charged source, such as a human being or other electronic device, to an electrical ground. In practice, any electrical potential between a human body and ground is reduced as charged electrons pass through the body and grounding strap. Unfortunately, the physical straps are cumbersome to attach and wear. In addition, due to their annoyance, persons will intentionally avoid using their ground straps which can cause damage to electrically sensitive devices.
The level of ESD protection provided by an object is directly related to the time needed to discharge its electrical potential. For example, it is known that the electrical resistance between two points can be correlated to the ESD potential, and thus electrical resistance values between two points are indicative of the effectiveness of the objects for resisting ESD. While in reality, the time it takes for an object to discharge is related to factors in addition to resistance, such as capacitants, contact resistance and discharge paths, it has been found that the resistance measurements provides an effective predictor of the potential for ESD. Accordingly, objects within electrostatic sensitive areas, such as flooring materials, packaging materials, and bench tops, are measured point-to-point to determine their ground resistance.
Various standards have been developed for measuring the resistance of work surfaces and other objects as a predictor of ESD potential. For example, ANSI/ESD STM 97.1-1999 is an accepted standard for testing flooring materials and footwear. In addition, ANSI/ESD STM S20.20-1999 provides a standard for determining whether objects as acceptable for use within an electrostatic discharge sensitive area. Both ANSI/ESD STM 97.1-1999 and ANSI/ESD STM S20.20-1999 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Perhaps because of the complexity and problems posed by ESD, upper extremity supports do not exist for operators working in ESD sensitive areas. Accordingly, persons using microscopes or working on electronics within an ESD sensitive area cannot use existing upper extremity supports as they unduly collect electrical charge and pose a significant ESD hazard.
Therefore, there is a significant need for a device which will reduce the discomfort and musculo-skeletal disorders that are suffered by those working in ESD sensitive areas.
It would be advantageous to provide a device which reduced worker fatigue and discomfort also complied with various ESD standards.
Furthermore, it would be advantageous if the device were inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use, and affordable to the end user.